Cops hunt Mickey Hart, former Grateful Dead drummer, for assault

Mickey Hart, for years a drummer for that iconic 60s and beyond drug and protest band, The Grateful Dead, is wanted on charges of assaulting a fan. It happened at a 'Mickey Hart Band' show in Kentucky and while details are sketchy, the fan filed charges.

Hart, real name Michael Hartman, was the Dead's second drummer, joining their first, Bill Kreutzmann in 1967, to form a rarity, a two-drummer band, and sticking until 1972. He rejoined the band two years later and played with the Dead until 1995 when they disbanded following the death of their leader, Jerry Garcia.

The website TMZ was able to note that in Kentucky a warrant is not issued until charges have been filed. Despite those charges and the warrant, the police there have not divulged details of the alleged assault and nor have they commented on whether they are finding it difficult to find Hart. Reports are he and his tour have moved on to Arkansas.

Over the years, Hart, 69, has continued to tour and record, with former members of the Grateful Dead under different band names. Well-known Grateful Dead songs include "Fire on the Mountain", "Ripple" and ''Truckin''' and Hart has released numerous solo albums, the most successive being 1991's "Planet Drum."